Some nights the sky wept stars that quickly floated and disappeared into the darkness before our wishes could meet them.

– Ishmael Beah

gender: male

The truth isn’t always beauty, but the hunger for it is.

– Nadine Gordimer

Dear friends,

The worst storm on record has devastated the people of the Philippines, and scientists say climate change fueled it. Leaders are meeting right now to decide whether to pay billions promised to help vulnerable countries recover from and protect against these climate disasters. Money that could go directly to helping the Philippines rebuild. The Filipino negotiator just went on a hunger strike for action and has started a petition on Avaaz — let’s stand with him:

SIGN THE PETITION
The horror of what’s happened in the Philippines is unimaginable. Ten thousand people wiped away by a 25ft wall of water driven by 300km/h winds. A city of 200,000 people looks like a nuclear bomb hit it. It’s the worst storm on record, but it’s just the beginning, unless we act.

Right now the world’s powers are in a global climate conference talking about whether to hand over billions promised to help the most vulnerable amongst us when climate change disasters hit. Yeb Sano, the Philippines’ chief negotiator, just addressed the room, tearfully pledging a hunger strike until a real deal is reached to help his family, fellow citizens and all the other most vulnerable nations who are at the most risk for violent storms like this one.

Yeb is standing alone, facing a room of bureaucrats who are doing almost nothing to help. But if we bring the power of our 29 million strong community in to stand with him, we could change the tide and push the richest polluters to pay up now. Click below to make it happen:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stand_with_the_Philippines/?bgSLceb&v=31099

Yeb Sano, the climate negotiator for the Philippines, spent hours trying to reach his brother after the storm. He finally found him, part of a crew moving the bodies of victims so relief workers could begin cleanup. After hearing the news he gave an amazingly brave speech to the world’s climate delegates, saying:

“I speak for my delegation. But more than that, I speak for the countless people who will no longer be able to speak for themselves after perishing from the storm. I also speak for those who have been orphaned by this tragedy. I also speak for the people now racing against time to save survivors and alleviate the suffering of the people affected by the disaster. We can take drastic action now to ensure that we prevent a future where super typhoons are a way of life… What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness. We can stop this madness. Right here in Warsaw.”

We owe it to the victims of Haiyan, and all future storms like it, to think bigger picture than our leaders are. Climate change killed them. And climate change is what we need to stop. A greater commitment to fund climate change management efforts is a key piece in the global deal we desperately need to save the world. And the richest countries have already pledged millions for this effort! So far, almost none of the money promised has arrived, but this can and must change. And the tragedy of the Philippines right in the middle of the climate conference is our chance to make it happen.

Click below to stand with Yeb and his country and with all those who have been and could be victims of climate change disasters:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stand_with_the_Philippines/?bgSLceb&v=31099

Yeb ended his speech by writing a pledge to everyone: “In solidarity with my countrymen who are struggling to find food back home and with my brother who has not had food for the last three days, in all due respect Mr. President, and I mean no disrespect for your kind hospitality, I will now commence a voluntary fasting for the climate. This means I will voluntarily refrain from eating food during this COP until a meaningful outcome is in sight.†Together, our movement can rise to this challenge, and bring hope to him and his family and generations of our most vulnerable world citizens.

With hope and determination,

Ricken and the whole Avaaz team

PS – This campaign was started by Yeb Sano, chief climate negotiator for the Philippines. Start yours now and win on any issue – local, national or global: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?

More information:

In hard-hit Tacloban, children ripped from arms (CNN)
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/09/world/asia/philippines-tacloban/index.html

Typhoon Haiyan: what really alarms Filipinos is the rich world ignoring climate change (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/08/typhoon-haiyan-rich-ignore-climate-change

Typhoon Haiyan influenced by climate change, scientists say (Sydney Morning Herald)
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/typhoon-haiyan-influenced-by-climate-change-scientists-say-20131111-2xb35.html

Typhoon Haiyan: Philippines destruction ‘absolute bedlam’ (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24894529

Deadly Typhoon Haiyan Devastates the Philippines, Heads for Vietnam (TIME)
http://world.time.com/2013/11/10/deadly-typhoon-haiyan-devastates-the-philippines-heads-for-vietnam/

Give the children love, more love and still more love – and the common sense will come by itself.

– Astrid Lindgren

There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.

– Robert Louis Stevenson

Now you have gone into that space
Beyond language

You have gone into the pauses in our conversation
The time beyond time and time within time

You are in those moments when we sit in the audience
Waiting for the curtain to rise

And the end when the curtain has closed
And the actors have taken their bows

You are within the pauses of the bird’s song
When we strain to hear the next note

In the water between the fish
In the traveler’s silence within a foreign language

You are in the air that fills the sky
In the moments after the sunset

You are between night and day
Spirit next to soul

You are in the space between the words
The moment before the artist picks up her brush

by Vicky Lettmann